A few weeks back, there was a garage fire opposite our house (thankfully no one was hurt). It was a rare occasion to have all the neighbours out in the street at the same time. As we looked around, we realised we really didn’t know anyone except the family next door. Patrick was across the road with a hose, fighting the fire with a neighbour we hadn’t met. I ran into someone’s house who I didn’t know, to grab their dogs I wasn’t familiar with, to take them to someone else’s house I also hadn’t met.
Following the fire there were more neighbourly “hello’s” in the street with familiar faces, but we wanted to do something more to actively cultivate community and get to know our neighbours. We decided to host an open garden on a Sunday afternoon, and did a letterbox drop with invites the week prior.
I’ll be honest, I was pleasantly surprised at the turnout. Around 7 or 8 households showed up. Neighbours brought treats, Linda at number 15 gave us a plant. We shared snacks made with produce from the garden. Neighbours brought their kids, who met each other and played together for the first time. I was inside hosting a beeswax wraps workshop with friends, and a few of the neighbours popped in to join the workshop. It was a great vibe, people were clearly eager to build community with everything that’s happening right now.
We used the open garden as an opportunity to launch one of our community building initiatives – our street library. We got kids at the open garden to paint the library, which is an old bar fridge we found in hard rubbish. Kids in the street can now walk past our house and see their art on display, and take books to read. Neighbours are welcome to borrow, or gift books to the library. No one checks books in or out, people just take what they need, or offer what they have. I checked on the library just now to take a picture for this blog, and someone has already added books to it! If you’re interested in finding out more about street libraries, including where to find one in your area or creating your own, check out street library.org.au.
With everything that’s happening in the world right now, we’re happy that we’ve started the ball rolling in our street. Even in these times of social distancing, we can still say hello and offer support to each other. Social distance does not mean social isolation.
